


Plenty of Fish in the Sea

by celestialdusk



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, It's mostly setting up in the beginning but I promise it gets more interesting, M/M, Shiro is bioluminescent, Slow Burn, but also some angst because I need to advance the plot somehow, i'll add more tags as i go along, lots of fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-17
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2019-01-08 00:48:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12243879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celestialdusk/pseuds/celestialdusk
Summary: He remembered the storm, the crew, the ship, the cold enveloping him. Then, darkness.Matt heard what sounded like water dripping a few feet to his right, as well as the sound of waves lapping onto a rocky surface. He, as far as he could tell, was not in a hospital like he should be.He slowly opened his eyes, blinking a few times in hopes to get rid of some of the black spots dancing before them. When the spots disappeared, he took in his surroundings.Everything was blurry. Matt quickly grabbed for his glasses that weren't there. He must have lost them when he fell in. He could at least piece together a few details.He was in a grotto, sitting on a ledge overlooking the water. And, in the water, something was moving. Something glowing. Something like a fish.-----Matt has returned to his old hometown of Altea Bay to help his family with his mother. He expects nothing new of the sleepy fishing town, but when he is saved by a strange creature of the depths, his entire world turns upside down.Special thanks to @red-1s-weird for the idea! Go check out their blog on tumblr!





	1. Altea Bay

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Red1sWeird](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Red1sWeird/gifts).



> This is my first Shatt fic, so I hope you enjoy :D  
> Based on an idea from @red-1s-weird! Go check out their blog!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was mostly written before season 4 came out, so Matt's characterization may be a bit off for now. I'm working on the second chapter now, and with season 4 out I think I can characterize him a bit better. Thanks for understanding!  
> Also, for now, Pidge is being called Katie. Later, she'll be called Pidge.  
> Edit: I made one slight edit to fit with continuity better :)

Matt sighed as he took a sip of his coffee, the steam fogging up his round spectacles. He was sitting in the sole cafe of Altea Bay (named Bay Coffee), idly scrolling through his phone, oblivious to the customers coming in and out. It was somewhat busy that day, as people were rushing in to grab their morning coffee before work, but Matt didn't pay attention to the commotion. 

His phone buzzed in his hand, and a small notification appeared at the top of the screen:

 _Pidge:_ MATT I HAVE AN EMERG

The rest was cut off my the side of the notification box. His phone vibrated again.

 _Pidge:_ 2 NEW MESSAGES

He tapped on the notification to read Pidge's texts.

_7:31 AM_

_Pidge:_ MATT I HAVE AN EMERGENCY

 _Pidge:_ I THINK I LEFT MY CALC TEXTBOOK AT HOME

He replied back.

 _Matt:_ Do you want me to get it for you?

 _Pidge:_ Please???? It's on my desk I think

 _Pidge:_ You don't have to if you're busy

 _Matt:_ No, it's fine

 _Matt:_ I was leaving soon anyway.

 _Pidge:_ Thank you soooooo much

 _Pidge:_ I owe you one

Matt clicked off his phone and looked to his remaining coffee in the mug. He nearly had a quarter of it left, but opted to leave the rest of it to get Pidge her textbook on time. He hated to waste food, but he had to do it.

He cleared his mug and left Bay Coffee, the bell on the door ringing as he did. He was immediately met with the crisp air of autumn, which was refreshing compared to the overheated cafe previously. He put his hands in his pockets as he walked.

It was not far to the Holt's house from the cafe, thankfully. He would be able to get there in about seven minutes, even at his leisurely pace. It would probably take him about three to pick up the textbook, and eleven to get to Pidge's school. He ran the numbers in his head multiple times as he walked, making sure he did not have to break out in a sprint to get to Pidge's school before the bell rang. 

The numbers seemed to check out. If he gave himself twenty-five minutes, four more minutes than he needed, he would still get there before eight, which was when the school day started. 

He became lost in thought as he strolled through the town. A few things had changed since he was there five years prior, such as the old fish shack (appropriately named The Swimming Salmon) he and his family would eat at shutting down and replaced by a new restaurant called Drop The Bass. Matt never found out what happened to the original owners, but he had bigger problems on his mind than the whereabouts of an old fish shack's owners. 

It took him very little time to pick up the textbook and get to Pidge's school. For the most part, the school looked the same as it did when Matt attended there, aside from the new chips along the walls and a few extra signs advertising homecoming that year. 

A girl was sitting on the steps of the building, blocking the way for some of the students to get in. Her head rested on her hands, looking as if she was bored out of her mind waiting for someone. As soon as she saw Matt, her face lit up and she jumped up and down the stairs.

She ran to Matt, her arms open wide. 

"Matt, buddy old pal!" She yelled, her voice muffled in his fabric as he hugged her. "So glad you could drop by!"

People were staring at the scene unfolding. Rather than becoming uncomfortable, however, Matt played along. 

"Of course, anything for my dearest pal! Say, Pidge, how goes it at this institution of yours?"

Pidge broke away and crossed her arms. "I hate it when you call me that damn name."

"Hey, Language!"

She rolled her eyes. "I've heard you say worse."

"Fair enough."

Katie's face turned darker, as if she was thinking about something deep. She tapped her chin. "When you were here, were you ever made fun of?"

"Of course I was. Not everyone here is exactly accepting of those different from them."

Katie chuckled. "True. Although, to be fair, I'd make fun of the co-president of the Anime club."

"It was a legitimate position!"

"Whatever, weeb."

He ignored her last comment and stretched the textbook out to her.

Katie grinned and grabbed it. "Thanks so much! Look, I gotta get going to class. See ya later!"

She bounded away and up the steps into the school.

Matt stood in the courtyard for a good two minutes, rooted in place, transfixed by the influx of people entering the building. He got a few sideways glances from the students, but for the most part he was not bothered by them.

After he had stood in front of the school for longer than for it not to be creepy, he realized it was best for him to head home so he could take his mother to her appointment. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and left the courtyard.

* * *

_Three Months Earlier: The Arrival_

Matt idly tapped his fingers on his legs while the taxi rumbled down the winding road. He had never imagined that he would be returning to live in his sleepy hometown of Altea, yet, here he was, bag of his most precious belongings beside him. He stared as the trees rushed passed him in a blur.

The taxi made a left turn.

Matt could now see the wooden sign proudly displaying:

**Altea Bay**

**Est. 1901**

_**Home of the Best Fish in the North!** _

As the taxi slowed into town, Matt got a good view from his window. It for the most part looked the same, with the exception of some wear from the elements. Heads turned as the taxi drove down the street, as the town seldom got visitors, or even returning folk. 

The taxi pulled to a stop in front of a quaint house situated next to a tree. Matt paid the taxi driver and took his bags out. He took in a deep breath before walking up the steps of his childhood home.

A small piece of paper was taped to the door.

_Matt,_

_If you see this, it means your mom and I aren't back from her appointment yet. You're staying in your old room. Keys are in the usual place._

_-Dad_

Why his dad didn't simply text him confounded Matt, but he wasn't one to complain. Matt set his bags down and looked for the key in the potted plant by the front door. He fished it out and jammed it into the lock. The door swung open.

Almost immediately, he was hit with a familiar smell, one that sent memories rushing back into his head. He smiled as he walked inside. It had only been about six months since Matt last visited his home (the visit, however, was brief), so everything looked the same as it normally did. Katie's books and various cords strewn about, the three coats that hung by the door, and the two couches equidistant from the tables were all in their proper places.

Matt heard the familiar jangling of a collar. He dropped his bag in anticipation.

"Bae Bae!" 

A brown dog bounded up to him, his tail waggling profusely. He jumped up to Matt, nearly knocking him over with his weight. Matt happily scratched the dog.

"I missed you too, boy."

Bae Bae dropped down from his standing position to let Matt regain his balance. His tail happily thumped the ground, creating a large  _thunk_ each time it made contact. 

Matt picked his dropped bag off the ground and walked up the stairs, Bae Bae trailing close behind him. It wasn't long before Matt was in his old room, untouched by the passage of time. He threw his bags onto his bed and pulled out his phone.

No notifications.

He predicted his mom and dad wouldn't be back for at least another thirty minutes, and he knew that Katie wouldn't get out of school for another forty-five, meaning Matt had the time to himself.

"Bae Bae!"

Bae Bae's ears perked up.

"Wanna go on a walk with me?"

His tail wagging became faster.

Matt took that as a yes. 

They had strolled for a bit in town (and were stopped by a few people commenting on how much Matt had grown) before they reached Matt's desired destination: the beach. While it was far too cold to go swimming, it was enjoyable to be able to walk along the shoreline. When he saw that the area of the beach he was on was empty, he let Bae Bae off his leash. He rushed over to the water and began to splash around in it.

Matt decided to let Bae Bae enjoy his time in the water, so he stopped walking and looked out into the ocean instead. It was unchanging blue, with the exception of the shifting of the waves, stretching forever into the horizon. The sun was still somewhat high in the sky, meaning the sky was still a light shade of blue. A few clouds dotted the sky, but not enough to warn of future showers. Matt sighed contentedly. 

He wasn't sure how long he stared out into the waves, but it was long enough for him to get fidgety. To cure his restlessness, he picked up a smooth rock from the ground and flung it into the ocean, watching it skip over the water before eventually sinking into the depths. He did this a few more times before--

"The hell?" Matt questioned. 

He could have sworn that he had seen an interruption in the blue water. For a brief moment, he had surely seen a purple flash flickering out of the water, before disappearing below once more.

"Must have been a fish," Matt murmured to himself. 

Yes, that's what it was. A fish briefly jumping to the surface, as fish would sometimes do.

Matt shook his head to clear the image from his mind.

There it was again! The brief flash of purple! 

But, just like before, it was gone too quickly for Matt to see what exactly was leaping into the air. 

Maybe it was a trick of his imagination. If that was true, Matt realized he probably shouldn't be out alone. It was getting late anyway, and his parents were probably back from the appointment. Perhaps the best thing for him to do was to head home.

"Bae Bae, come here!" Matt said, leash in hand.  

Bae Bae trotted over to him and allowed Matt to clip the leash to his collar.

They left the beach, leaving whatever the purple flash was behind. 

While they were walking home, only one thought ran through Matt's head:  _It had to be a fish._

* * *

_One Month After the Arrival_

"I think I should get a job," Matt announced to the three people sitting at the table. 

"Oh, sweety," his mother, Colleen, replied. "You don't have to."

"I know, I just want to be able to support you guys as much as I can."

Katie stabbed her dinner with her fork and pushed the remains around her plate. She tended to play with her food during dinner, and while their mother used to reprimand her, Colleen gave up years ago on trying to get Katie to stop. "Matt, you're only here for a bit, right? As soon as you find one, you'll be out of here. No point in looking." She took a bite of her food. "Besides, where are you even going to find a job around here? I doubt they're offering many jobs here involving microbiology."

His father, Samuel, piped up. "I think Coran is offering a job on his fishing boat, if you really want one."

\--

Coran did indeed have a job for Matt, and happily gave it to him.

They were standing on the docks, where Coran was about to show him the inner-workings of his new job. 

"Now, my boy, you'll be working three days a week: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday," Coran explained to Matt. "Some days you'll have to work more than one day if we're going out for a large trip. You'll just be a deckhand, meaning you'll mostly do maintenance around the ship. I trust a smart boy like you knows how to do basic tasks such as that."

Matt nodded. Even if he himself had never been much into fishing, practically everyone around town knew how the boats worked and how to keep them in shape. This job, while somewhat low-paying, would suffice for now. 

Coran clapped his hand on Matt's shoulder. "Now, let's show you where everything is."

The tour of the boat itself was brief, as it was a small vessel, barely large enough to survive on the chopping waves of the ocean. It was a standard sea-faring fishing boat, with the large reels and proper steering in all their normal places. Matt had been on enough of these boats as a kid to remember roughly everything was without the tour, but a refresher was quite nice, as it had been many years since Matt actively participated on one of these boats.

"Remember, you start next Monday. See you then!"

* * *

_Two Months After the Arrival_

Why Matt ever decided to take a job on a fishing boat was a mystery to him. 

He, for one, was  _highly_ prone to seasickness. One time, while on a field trip in elementary school, they were all packed on a boat touring the bay. The water was as still as glass, and yet, Matt's body still decided to throw up his scrambled eggs from the morning all over poor Allura's new dress. Matt suspected Allura never actually forgave him for that. It was a shame, too, because he had a crush on her in the subsequent years.

So, even while the boat was pulling out of the day for their first trip to the sea, Matt could already feel his stomach heaving. He assumed he went pale, as Coran started to give him advice.

"Feeling sick?" Coran asked.

Matt nodded. 

"Very common for those of you without sea legs!" Coran said. "There's a simple trick that helped Allura for years when she first was on here. Look out to the horizon. Doesn't matter where, as long as it is a fixed point."

Matt focused just left of the rising sun. It didn't make him feel much better, but it at least made the churning more bearable.

Matt smiled sheepishly. "Thanks."

"No problem, my boy! Once you're feeling better I've got a couple of things below deck that need fixing."

"Yes, sir."

"No need to call me sir! Just call me Coran."

"Yes, Coran."

Coran smiled, the lines around his eyes crinkling. "See you below deck!"

Matt watched the fixed point in the horizon, unable to turn away even if he wanted to. Then-

It was the flash of purple from two month prior! While it was brief, it was much closer now to the ship, meaning Matt got a better look at it.

It was, undoubtedly, a fish tail. 

* * *

_Present Day_

The water was choppy as the boat pressed further into the ocean, the waves tilting the boat back and forth. The sleeting rain made the deck slippery, and already one member of the crew had slipped on it. The clouds and falling water blocked them from even discerning a few feet in front of them. All Matt could see was grey clouds and grey water.

Matt's hand gripped the railing as the boat oscillated, so much so that his knuckles were beginning to turn white. His stomach was churning like the ocean, and a bit of his breakfast threatened to come up as the boat was thrown back and forth. He brought one hand up in hopes to cover his mouth and force his breakfast back down.

Coran was yelling something, but it was caught in the wind. 

The ocean was growing worse by the minute, and the small boat was feeling the growing wrath. It threatened to dip under as the waves grew taller than it. 

"Matt! Grab a lifeve-"

The boat jerked to the left, and Matt lost his grip on the railing. He tumbled over barrier, hitting his head as he did. He splashed into the water.

It was cold. And dark, with the only light source being the light from the boat above. Matt drifted deeper under the waves. 

Katie was standing before him, her face smiling.

"Matt! What are you doing you dumbass? Swim!" 

Matt tried to say "watch your language", but only bubbles came out.

The light was growing smaller.

His mother and father materialized behind Katie, their faces holding the same expression.

"Swim, Matt, swim!" They all said in unison

He tried to move his arms, kick his legs, but they weren't listening to him. They sat there, paralyzed.

His head began to hurt. He could see a trail of blood from it trailing to the surface. Everything was growing darker. How had the light multiplied? Why was it moving back in forth? Was it supposed to be fuzzy?

Matt mistily thought about the air trapped in the bubbles while he watched his family stare at him. 

Something purple was growing closer to him. Before he could see what it was, he blacked out.

* * *

There was a constant pain in the lower part of his head, as if someone was taking a mallet and repeatedly hitting Matt in the back of the head with it. Bells rung in his ears. He tasted blood in his mouth. Matt groaned.

He remembered the storm, the crew, the ship, the cold enveloping him. Then, darkness.

Matt heard what sounded like water dripping a few feet to his right, as well as the sound of waves lapping onto a rocky surface. He, as far as he could tell, was not in a hospital like he should be.

He slowly opened his eyes, blinking a few times in hopes to get rid of some of the black spots dancing before them. When the spots disappeared, he took in his surroundings.

Everything was blurry. Matt quickly grabbed for his glasses that weren't there. He must have lost them when he fell in. He could at least piece together a few details.

He was in a grotto, sitting on a ledge overlooking the water. And, in the water, something was moving. Something glowing. Something like a fish.

The purple fish he had been seeing! It was here!

Matt shook his head. He must be hallucinating from his head injury. Why would the fish be here? Why even was Matt here? 

He must be dreaming. It was the only logical explanation.

That, or he was dead. Matt pushed the thought out of his head.

The fish was coming closer now. On closer inspection, however, it didn't appear to be a fish at all. For one, it was missing its head, but the way it moved was completely different than what Matt had seen in the past. That, and it was at least ten feet long.

A splash of water. Something had emerged from it.

Before Matt a man had surfaced, his body dripping wet from the water. He was propped up on his elbows. His head was tilted to the side, like he was inspecting Matt.

Except he wasn't a man. He had small fins where his ears should be, a stretch of glowing purple across the bridge of the nose, and a sharp row of fangs. Whatever he was, he wasn't human. 

Matt screamed.

He tried to scoot back, but he was already against the wall. 

"Don't scream! I'm not going to hurt you."

Matt stopped his screaming, but was still scrambling to get as far away as possible.

"I know you're probably confused, and I'll explain everything, but I need you to be calm. I won't touch you. Can you do that for me?"

Matt paused from his clambering. As the ringing in his ears faded, the gears in his head began to work.

Matt from a young age had believed in the supernatural, the paranormal, the mystic. It all started when he was a young kid and he swore he saw the flashing lights of a UFO outside his window. He remembered rushing to the library each day to research a new creature. He remembered staying up late in hopes of catching one. He remembered sneaking out to go out into the nearby woods and search of them.

So, when he realized that a mermaid was earnestly staring at him, he nearly jumped with joy.

Well,  _merman_ technically, but the principle was still the same. 

He rubbed his eyes. This had to be a dream. This had to be a dream.

"Good," the merman said. "Now that you're a bit calmer-"

"Holy shit! You're a merman!" Matt interrupted. 

"Uh-"

"An actual merman! Holy shit! This can't be real!"

The merman chuckled. "Right. I forgot you human folk are surprised by us existing."

Matt tried to curb his excitement. What was more important was trying to figure out how he got there, and whether or not he was still alive. If he hit his head as hard as he thought he did, he had to get to a hospital soon, meaning the merman would have to wait. 

"How did I get here?" Matt asked, briefly forgetting he was asking a mystical creature, and not a normal, everyday human.

"I found you in the middle of that nasty storm. I was lucky to find you alive. That wound on the back of your head was pretty bad."

"Was bad?"

"I patched it up a bit. Nothing much, seeing as I'm not a medic, but it was good enough to at least stop the blood flow." 

Matt touched where he had hit his head. He could feel something slimy, but it was impossible for him to tell what was there, seeing as he could not view the back of his head.

"Where am I now?"

"You're in a cave along the coast. I couldn't just dump your unconscious, bleeding body on the beach, so I thought this was the second best place to bring you. After all, it would not be right to let your injury go untreated."

Matt nodded. His thoughts jumped to some of legends about mermaids. More specifically, the one about mermaids who preyed on sailors lost at sea. He shuddered at the thought.

Matt knew deep down that the merman wouldn't do that. Besides, if the merman wanted to eat him, wouldn't he have already? The merman saved his life. If he was planning on hurting him, he would have left him to fall to the bottom of the sea. 

"What's your name?"

That question seemed to take the merman off guard. He stared at Matt, not saying a word, for what felt like an eternity. 

"You don't have to tell me. I just wanted to know my savior's na-"

"It's Shiro."

"Shiro?" Matt asked. "That's a very human sounding name."

Shiro shrugged. "It's not my real name, just one that's in your language."

"Oh. Well, it's a nice name."

Matt took a closer look at Shiro's tail. It was luminescent, and was currently the only thing providing any light in the cavern. That, and the streak of purple across Shiro's face. His tail flicked in the water, making small ripples across the top.

The only sound echoing through the cavern was the water splashing against the rocks. Shiro still stared at Matt intently, seemingly unable to tear his gaze away. Matt was no different. 

It was oddly sobering to see something considered a myth face to face. Matt wanted to reach out and stroke Shiro's face, just to see if he really was real, but he kept his hand close. The row of fangs were unnerving, and Matt didn't want to scare Shiro away.

"I suppose I should get you back to your land," Shiro said, breaking the silence between them. "I am sure your family is quite worried about you. Your injury should be somewhat healed now."

Shiro's words snapped Matt out of his daze. 

"Hold still," Shiro ordered. He pulled a pouch out of the water that was previously tied around his waist. He opened it.

"What's in there?" Matt asked.

"You ask many questions."

Matt didn't reply.

Shiro dipped his hand in the pouch. From it he pulled a fine purple powder.

"This was a dream," Shiro said. "You never saw me."

He blew the powder into Matt's face. Matt coughed and swatted his hand in front of him.

"What the he-"

Matt was cut off by the sudden urge to sleep. Yes, sleep is what he needed most right now more than anything. He slumped over as his eyes began to flutter close. Shiro's face had grown closer to his.

Matt shut his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully the pacing is okay :D . It kinda felt weird to do the timeskips, but for the most part there won't be any more flashbacks from here on out. Please feel free to leave any and all comments, criticism or not. I'll try to update this as much as I can, but school can get a bit busy sometimes. My goal is to do this biweekly (every two weeks). Thanks for understanding!


	2. Dreams and Reality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "We live in a fantasy world, a world of illusion. The great task in life is to find reality." -Iris Murdoch  
> (I'm so deep, I know)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit it's finally here! I promise next update won't take so long <3  
> So each part is a bit shorter for this chapter, because I wanted to create this disjointed feeling to reflect how Matt's thoughts were. I hope it isn't too weird!  
> I decided to make the chapter longer this time to make up for all the time I missed :)  
> Also, more context this chapter. Bleh, I know, but I gotta get it out of the way. Next chapter though, get ready ;)
> 
> OK SO I STILL NEED TO EDIT THIS I'LL DO THAT AFTER FINALS

Darkness.

That was Shiro's life.

He'd always yearned for something more, something more interesting than the inky blankness that perpetually surrounded him, but he knew that was just a frivolous dream. He was, after all, tied to the depths, or so he thought for many years.

Just five years ago he discovered that if he was careful, he could reach the surface without catching the watchful gaze of mariners as they steered past him in their large vessels. A few times he had gotten close, having to dive below the bubbles as he heard the shout of confused sailors while they pointed to where he once was. One time, he got exceptionally close, but that time did not matter anymore.

What mattered now was that there was a raging storm outside, one of the largest ones he had seen in the area. He could see a ship struggling against it, continually being battered by the onslaught of rain and waves. He was just below the surface, watching it all happen from below the turbulent swells attacking the ship. His tail flicked as he contemplated surfacing outside to try to access the situation more.

Before he could make a decision, he heard the water break on the other side of the ship. He whipped his head around to see what had caused the splash of the water. It was a dark figure, one sinking with each passing second. It didn't appear to be capable of swimming, as it continued its decent downward into the abyss below rather than kicking to the surface.

Shiro swished downward to catch up to the figure falling, curious as to what it could be. As he got closer with his dive, he could begin to make out some of the figure's features. 

It was a man that was sinking, one with eyes that closed almost immediately after Shiro approached him. His hair fanned around him like a halo, circling his features in a border of light brown strands. His mouth was open, where bubbles were escaping to the surface above. 

Shiro gently ran his fingers over the man's cheek, before noticing the blood escaping from the back of his head. The red ink curled, suspended in the water around them. Shiro looped his arm around the back of the man's head to feel for the wound, and when he did, he kept his hand there in hopes of at least slowing down the bleeding. 

Then, it hit him.

This man, this human, could not breathe water. 

Shiro cursed, realizing his mistake may have cost this man's life, and grabbed him by the wrist. He began swimming upwards, but it was a lengthy process, seeing as he was carrying an unconscious man. Even if the man was on the scrawnier side, he was still heavy in the water.

Bubbles continued to escape from the man's mouth. Shiro prayed to every deity he knew of to spare the man's life.

After an eternity, they burst into the cold air. Shiro glanced around the area, but the man's boat was nowhere in sight. Shiro would have to improvise with the man.

The man's breathing was shallow. If he wanted to have any chance of survival, Shiro would have to get the man to dry land. The only problem was, the nearest dry land was miles away.

Except for one stretch Shiro had discovered just a little under a month ago. It was a small island nearby, with a grotto that Shiro could stay in while he, to the best of his ability, healed the man. 

It thankfully wasn't that long of a swim to the island, but Shiro still swam as fast as he could.

"Come on," he ordered the unconscious man. "Stay will me."

At those words, the man shifted slightly and groaned, as if responding to them. Shiro sped up.

He continued these orders throughout the entire swim, not even letting up when he saw the island, nor when he gently placed the man on the rocks of the grotto so that he may heal him. Even while he worked, he continued his constant orders, hoping that it would do something to keep the man alive. 

Shiro, thankfully, had what he needed to heal the man. While it wasn't perfect, it would keep him alive long enough to be found by another human when Shiro dropped him back onto the mainland. He fished out a small square of sana, as merpeople called it, or a sticky green plant that grew where the sun could not reach. It was useful in healing mermaids, and Shiro hoped it worked on humans too. He tilted the man's head to see the wound, trying not to grimace at the hair matted with red around it. He tenderly placed the sana to his skull, where it immediately stuck.

Now, all Shiro had to do was play the waiting game.

He watched the man as he slept, pondering the man's existence. He'd never been this close to a human before, and never one of his age. He even considered not taking the man back to the mainland when he awoke, but he quickly pushed the thought of his head. This man deserved to be with his family. 

Shiro folded his arms on the rocks and rested his chin on them. 

He knew he'd never see the man again after this, but something deep down inside him hoped he would. 

* * *

_This was a dream. You never saw me._

The words echoed through Matt's head over and over again.

He was suspended in water, unable to move to check his surroundings. He, despite being in the depths of the ocean, could breathe normally. With each breath he took, his lungs filled more and more with water, yet they seemed to function as they would with air. He could feel fish and other creatures of the depths swim around him and circle him, but it being so dark, he could not see what they were. He had to pray they were nothing looking for their next meal.  

The inky blackness fell over him like a blanket. He was so deep down that the sun was no longer visible, nor even anything just a few feet in front of him. He felt the push of water as something large swam above him. He sunk down deeper with the current.

Then, there was light. It was subtle, but still bright enough for Matt to see it approaching him. It was a light shade of purple in what appeared to be in the shape of a fishtail. It swiftly advanced toward him as he floated, unable to move out of the way. This is how he'd die. He knew it. He'd be eaten by whatever the creature was and what was left of him would be thrown to the bottom of the sea to rot away.

A figure emerged from the darkness, attached to the light. His face was oddly familiar, like it was a suppressed memory trying to claw its way out. A small strip of purple stretched across the bridge of his nose, illuminating most of his other features. The figure had intelligent grey eyes with flecks of purple that stared into his own. Matt had seen the face somewhere before, but as to where, he was unsure.

The figure reached out to touch his face. As soon as his fingers grazed Matt, everything went black.

* * *

"He's awake!"

Matt opened his eyes to a blindingly white room. There was a methodical beep that was almost completely muffled by a shrill ringing in his ear. He heard garbled voices, but none said anything remotely coherent to him. The metallic taste of iron filled his mouth.

He blinked a couple of times.

By the looks of it, he was in a hospital, one with white walls, white floors, and white bedspreads. The bedspreads were scratchy, and Matt wanted nothing more than to tear them off of his body. Around him, faces began to come into focus. Three familiar figures were huddled in a circle around him, looking earnestly at him. They, unlike he had seen them before, were not yelling words of encouragement, but rather beaming at him. They were still somewhat blurry, but he could at least now tell who each of the faces belonged to.  

Katie swooped down from her standing position to wrap Matt in a hug. With the contact, his bones ached and his skin burned, but he accepted the hug, wrapping his arms around her. Her hair smelled like it hadn't seen a shower in days, but Matt didn't care. Her warmth reminded him that he was still alive.

"Goddammit Matt," Katie whispered into his ear so their parents wouldn't hear. "I swear to God if you pull something like that again I will hunt you down and kill you myself."

Soon, everyone was hugging him. His mom combed his hair with her shaking fingers. He was nearly suffocating from the bodies squeezing him, but he didn't complain. He didn't die that day. He got to see his family once more.

He, for a moment, could forget that he had just woken up in a hospital with no memory of how he got there. He, for a moment, could forget that he had nearly died that day at sea. He, for a moment, could forget about the dream of the strange figure he had.

When they did pull away, they still remained close to the bed, as if he'd disappear if they didn't. They chatted for some time, probably for hours.

"Please, step away from the bed," someone said. 

In the doorway stood a nurse, dressed in a garb as white as the room itself. She was grasping a clipboard, tapping it impatiently while waiting for his family to step far away from the bed. Next to her was a doctor, wearing an equally white coat. She held a bag in her right hand. When his family did step away, they both strolled into the room.

"I will need you to leave the room, please," the nurse said.

"But-" His mom tried to say.

"I'm sorry, but as Mr. Holt here is not a minor, any information we will disclose to him must be private. You may come back in when we are done."

His mother nodded. They left, shutting the door behind them.

The doctor pulled up a chair and sat next to Matt's bed. She was hunched over slightly as if she was trying her best to not fall asleep. The nurse stood behind her, a pen ready to jot anything down that was needed. The nurse had large bags under her eyes, but she looked alert enough to at least write down what the doctor told her to on the clipboard. 

"Mr. Holt," the doctor said. "I'm Dr. Honerva. Behind me is Ms. Kova. We will explain what happened while you were unconscious if you'd be willing to answer a few of our questions."

Matt nodded.

"You were found by a fisherman in your town washed up ashore. You were barely conscious. Is any of this ringing a bell?"

Matt shook his head. "I can't say it does."

Dr. Honerva hummed. "Interesting. Well, after you were found, you were rushed to the hospital. I'm sure you're aware that you are no longer in Altea Bay, but the next town over of Daibazaal."

"Of course."

Altea Bay was too small to have a hospital of its own, so its residents in emergency situations would have to travel to Daibazaal, which was about two or three hours away. They'd lost a few because of it, but otherwise the system seemed to work.

"We ran some tests as soon as you arrived." Ms. Kova handed Dr. Honerva a few slip of paper. Dr. Honerva turned the photos around so Matt could see them. They were x-rays of a skull, with red circles around a few of the spots. She pointed to the circles "This here shows blunt trauma to your skull, but upon further investigation, it appears it healed far quicker than what should be humanly possible."

Matt's stomach dropped. How was this possible? As far as he knew, he was an average, every day human. 

"We're looking into it further, but that means you'll have to stay in the hospital a bit longer."

"How long?" Matt asked.

"We're not sure yet. It could be just another week or it could end up being months."

"I can't stay that long!"

"Mr. Holt, it is completely up to you if you wish to stay, but know that we will not be able to help you further if you choose to leave. Think about it, please, before making a decision."

Matt bit his lip.

"Also in the testing, we discovered traces of an unknown substance within you. Were you by any chance using drugs before you left on your trip out to sea?"

"What?"

"Mr. Holt, please be honest with us. It's not our job to enforce the law, but it's our job to help you as much as we can. If you can tell us what you were using-"

"I wasn't using any fucking drugs!" Matt interrupted. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath in. He covered his face with his hands, slightly muffling his next words. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to burst out like that."

"Mr. Holt, I understand you may be a bit strained right now, but if you would please tell us-"

"I told you, I wasn't using any drugs."

Ms. Kova wrote something on the clipboard.

"We'll come and talk to you when you're feeling better, okay?" Dr. Honerva said. "When you're a little less irritable, if you will. I'd get some rest if I were you. I'm sure interacting with your family so much has sapped all your energy."

Dr. Honerva stood up and walked out of the room, Ms. Kova trailing behind her.

Matt knew he wouldn't be staying.

* * *

_You ask many questions._

Matt fell further and further.

The water above him was ramming him down into the depth of its clutches, knocking the air out of him. He was gasping, but nothing but water was filling his lungs. He could see his life slipping away before his eyes with each desperate breath. With each passing moment he was sinking deeper and deeper, with no hope of ever returning to the surface. This was it. This was how he would die.

Something brushed against his trailing hand beneath him. He didn't have the energy to flip over to see what it was. Not that it mattered, anyway, seeing as he was slipping in and out of consciousness. 

Something grabbed onto his wrist. He didn't even flinch with the contact. He did not care what had latched itself onto him, nor what it would do to him. As soon as it had come though, it disappeared. 

Matt's last bit of air fizzled away.

He shut his eyes.

* * *

_Click._

_Click._

_Click._

The Newton's cradle swung systematically back and forth. The desk was neatly organized with papers all placed in one single pile. A small potted plant provided the only splash of color in the gray room. Matt was in an office, sitting rigid in his chair. He fiddled with his new pair of glasses, which were not quite the same as his old ones, but they worked well enough so he could at least see three feet in front of him. 

Behind the desk sat Dr. Honerva, her graying hair pulled into a tight bun. She tapped a pencil on the stack of papers.

"Thank you, Mr. Holt, for being so compliant with us, despite not deciding to stay. We'll analyze the blood samples you provided today and try to get back to you about them as soon as possible."

"What about my blood samples from last month?" Matt asked. "You still haven't told me anything about those yet." 

"Be patient. We'll get them to you. We'd be able to get them to you quicker if you actually stayed in the hospital."

Matt didn't reply. 

He had decided to leave the hospital once he was well enough to, despite Dr. Honerva's protests, but agreed to come in for monthly visits so they could run further tests on him. So far, he had not received any results from them. Each time Matt brought it up, Dr. Honerva would blame it on Matt not being in the hospital and changing the subject. It was quite infuriating, but Matt couldn't do anything about it.

"We're almost done here," Dr. Honerva said. "Just one more question."

"Yeah?"

"Have you been having any strange dreams lately?"

Matt's blood ran cold. He thought back to the dreams he'd been having the past months about the strange creature who always saved him from drowning. The one that glowed purple, the one that had kind and intelligent eyes. The one he knew deep down was a merman. 

There was something oddly personal about the dreams, making Matt not inclined to share. 

"Even before the accident, all my dreams were strange, Dr. Honerva," Matt replied. "It's no exception now."

"That's not answering the question, Mr. Holt."

He gulped. 

"No," he lied. "Nothing out of the ordinary."

Dr. Honerva stopped her tapping.

"Are you sure, Mr. Holt?"

He could feel her eyes staring at him, trying to break him with their gaze. 

He had to stand strong. For whatever reason, he knew he couldn't tell her.

"Yes, I'm sure. Nothing strange."

The Newton's cradle clicked away as neither of them spoke. Dr. Honerva was still staring at him, daring him to drop his innocent facade for a split second. He looked everywhere but her face, trying not to make eye contact with her while he waited for her to say something. The Newton's cradle continued its clicking. 

Dr. Honerva broke the silence.

"Very well. I expect to see you back in a month." 

Matt nodded. He shakily stood up. He wanted to run from the room, but he managed to keep his pace at a walk. The door shut behind him.

He leaned up against the wall and let out a breath.

That, he decided, would be his last visit.

* * *

_I suppose I should get you back to your land._

Matt only saw darkness.

But what he saw didn't matter, but rather what he heard.

He heard the sound of water splashing in the darkness, as if something large was disturbing it with its swimming. He heard the sound of breathing, almost  _human_ breathing coming from something next to his ear, it so heavy that it sounded like the person had just run a marathon. Most importantly, however, he heard the sound of someone  _talking._

"Come on," the person said. "Stay with me."

In hearing those words, Matt felt something surge through him. He had to stay alive. He had no choice. 

Something about that voice sounded familiar, like he'd heard it before in some distant memory.

Before he could put his finger on where he heard the voice, everything went silent.

* * *

Dr. Honerva had left about ten messages to both his personal and home phone when he skipped out on his next appointment, but he had more important matters to attend to than an appointment where he'd get told the same information: finding out as much information as he could about his dreams. 

He was at the library, drawing strange looks from people as he slammed down at least ten volumes of books on mermaids, especially ones from Altea Bay, down onto the table, startling a few of the readers in the library with the large sound the stack produced on contact. Most of them were only sailor's diaries briefly mentioning them in one entry, but he would take what he could get. 

The first book on his stack was a weathered, leather-bound encyclopedia from at least two centuries ago that was so old that he could barely make out the gold lettering on the spine reading "Encyclopedia of Mystical Creatures". It was shoved in the back of a shelf at the library, so it took him a considerable amount of time to even find it. He blew the dust that had collected on the surface of it and cracked it open.

His index finger slid over the table of contents before stopping at the page he needed.

_**Merfolk: page 132** _

Matt flipped to the appropriate page. The section appeared to go on for some time about merfolk of every corner of the world, but he focused on the parts about merfolk of the Northern Pacific Ocean. That page featured a large wall of text only broken by a hastily sketched out picture of a mermaid sitting on a rock. At least Matt assumed it was a mermaid, as the drawing was clearly added in without much thought and more closely resembled a cheeseburger. 

_Merfolk of the Northern Pacific Ocean are rarely seen by humans, as they are a highly elusive subspecies. They are not used to company and travel and hunt alone, as opposed to their Southern counterparts who stay together in pods. They choose to remain isolated like this and are often quite shy as a result, so if they see a human, they are quick to dive back below the waves from whence they came._

_They will have gatherings with other merfolk every ten-fifteen years in a predetermined location to meet potential mates, however, these meetings are kept brief and more often than not most leave mateless and continue their life as it was before, waiting to come back for the next gathering._

_Many of these merfolk live deep underwater, far below humans are capable of reaching with our current technology. Because of this, they are often bioluminescent so that they may attract prey to consume, as well as to enhance their ability to see. They come in many colors, but the most common hues are blue and green. Bioluminescent colors are hereditary, meaning families will often share the same coloration._

_Families are difficult to find in the ocean, as when the merchild turns just five years old, the mother will leave it to fend for itself. Due to the abandonment of the mother, merchildren have a very high mortality rate, and thus the population of the merfolk is low. Merchildren that do survive to adulthood, however, are likely to live out the rest of their three hundred year lifespan._

Matt skimmed through the rest of it, but it was mostly about eating habits and other unimportant things about merfolk of the area. Matt didn't know how much of it was true, but he didn't have any other information to go off of, so, for now, he'd trust it. He reached for one of the many diaries he had picked up.

_Day Fourteen_

_I was tending to my usual tasks today when I saw something peculiar swimming in the water. I swear on my mother's life that it was not my imagination playing tricks on me due to the lack of water we have been receiving, but something of flesh and blood. At first, I thought it to bea fish, but then I noticed that it was half maiden. Her tail seemed to let off a glow I did not know was possible for a creature of the sea. She smiled at me before dipping back below the waves._

Matt felt a tap on his shoulder. It was the librarian, Ms. Ryner, waiting patiently behind him.

"It's time for us to close, Matt. I can check out those books for you."

Matt nodded and scooped up the books into his arms. They walked back over to the counter, where Ms. Ryner checked everything out for him.

"Due in two weeks," she said, slipping a receipt into the first page of the first book. "But I know you know that already. Have a great night."

"You too."

When Matt arrived home with his armful of books, he did not expect to see his mother standing at the door with her arms crossed. Her eyebrows were knit together and her lips were pulled into a thin line. 

"Matthew Holt, get inside right now."

Matt gulped. He hadn't seen his mother this cross with him since the time he snuck out in his sophomore year of high school. Those crossed arms only meant one thing: trouble.

His mother stepped aside to let him inside, her arms still crossed. She shut the door behind him. She stepped in front of him before he could dash off, effectively blocking him off from running away.

"Dr. Honerva called," she said. "Why weren't you at your appointment today?"

"Mom, I'm an adult. My medical issues shouldn't matter to you."

"When it comes to your health, I will always care about it. Matt, Dr. Honerva trying to help you. If you skip out on your appointment, you may never get the help you need."

"I feel fine, honestly. I have more important matters to attend to than going to a hospital when they tell me the same thing every month."

"More important?" She uncrossed her arms to pick up the top book in his arms. She read the cover. " _Merfolk and Me: A Guide to the People of the Deep_ is more important than your own health?"

"You wouldn't understan--"

"I understand full well what it's like to not want to go to appointments. Even though I don't want to, I still go to them."

Matt chided himself silently. He was so selfishly thinking about himself in that moment he had forgotten his mother was going through a much worse process. Her sickness was starting to show, too, with her nearly translucent skin and large bags under her eyes. He wished he could take back everything he had just said, but he knew he could only do the second best thing. 

"You're right, I'm sorry. I'll go to my next appointment."

He knew the appointments weren't helpful, but he would do them for his mother, unless he could find some way to weasel out of it first. 

She nodded and placed the book back onto his stack. "Thank you. Now, don't stay up too late reading those. I know you're an adult now, but you're under my roof, so you have to follow my rules. Deal?"

"Deal."

Matt, for once, didn't stay up to the ungodly hour of four am, but went to bed only at midnight. He owed it to his mother. 

* * *

Matt was filled with more questions than he had answers.

He combed through the rest of the books, only to find nothing of substantial use to him. Most of the diaries all said roughly the same things, about a maiden smiling coyly at them before disappearing once more, so those were all useless. The other encyclopedias were not nearly as in-depth as the first one and often rehashed what was said in the first, so they proved useless as well. 

He opted to clear his head by going for a walk, much to his parents' disagreement, but he quickly shut down their arguments of it not being safe for him to walk when he was still recovering by simply saying that he was an adult and walking out the door. He, of course, still remembered his mom's words of following her rules, but he should be able to have the freedom to at least  _leave_ the house to go for a walk.

The sun was setting when he began his walk, washing the streets in a pale, orange glow. 

It was still somewhat warm out, despite fall approaching, so Matt only had to put on a light hoodie to bat away the cold. It was from the school he use to attend before moving back home, and the smell of it brought back memories of cramming and pulling all-nighters while his roommates constantly complained about the light being on and that they were trying to sleep. Matt always felt bad, but to him his grades were more important than anything. The smell also brought back memories of his friend Olia he had met there, one that even went into the PhD program with him, and was tirelessly still working to get hers. Matt wished he could have stayed with her and finished his PhD as well, but his family came first.

Before he knew it, he was on the pier, the wooden boards creaking as he walked to the end of it. This pier was low and short, like the builders had stopped halfway through making it. By the residents of Altea Bay, it was dubbed "stubby pier", due to its size. No one ever visited, save the occasional teenager heartthrobs that wanted to make out there, so Matt knew he wouldn't be bothered.

He sat down at the end of it, his feet just ghosting over the water below. He watched the sun set in the distance, the images from his dreams still flashing in his head. 

If Matt had been looking down at the water rather than the sunset, however, he would have seen the purple glow just below his feet. If he had looked down, he would have seen the curious eyes staring up at him while he obviously watched the sunset. If he had looked down, he would have seen the hand emerging from the inky depths to graze the bottom of his shoe before disappearing back below. 

If Matt had looked down, he would have received answers. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALS WEEK IS HERE! I SHOULD HAVE THE THIRD CHAPTER OUT MAYBE DECEMBER 31ST (I'm taking my driving test the 30th so we'll see). I've started working on it and I already like it A LOT more than this chapter. Expect more Matt and Shiro interaction ;)
> 
> Also, note about the ages:  
> Shiro and Matt are the same age in maturity. Mermaids in this world live A LOT longer than humans, so Shiro is older physically, but not mentally. Kinda like how elves live hundreds of years, you know? Anyway, I hope that's not creepy or whatever because to me they act/are practically the same age
> 
> (Also sorry about lying a bit about the flashbacks :P. I needed to provide some context for Shiro)


	3. Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little bit more of a look into Shiro's life and his past. And, perhaps, a meeting of some sort ;)
> 
> Special thanks to @yaoi_ships for giving me an idea in the comments!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK FOREVER TO GET OUT  
> School got SUPER busy all the sudden and I really wasn't expecting it (I was failing some of my classes for a bit so I had to focus on that. Now that my grades are back up to where they should be, I can devote more energy to this). 
> 
> I made a promise to myself that I won't kill this fic, and I intend to keep that promise. It may take me a while to get each chapter out since I also only get motivation in bursts, but they'll come out eventually.
> 
> I would love to get out more updates in the month of May (for MerMay), but AP exams and finals are coming up, so that might not happen. BUT that means summer is coming up so expect A LOT more content! (During the summer I'm aiming for chapters every other Sunday, but if I'm feeling up for it I may push for every Sunday).

Shiro had gotten far too close to the land-dweller on the pier. Shiro hadn't been that close to a land-dweller, well, he supposed since he saw the one on the pier crash into the water from that storm earlier, but before that, it had been years. Yes, he had a few close calls with ships and sailors, but he hadn't actually touched a land-dweller in many years.

He had left as soon as he grazed the man's shoe. Feeling the synthetic rubber over his fingertips was enough to pull him back to reality, so he frantically fled after doing so.

He was now swimming further and further away from the pier where the land-dweller had been sitting. He still didn't know his name, nor did he expect to ever find it out. While there was nothing explicitly against meeting with a land-dweller, it was highly frowned up. Furthermore, Shiro knew he'd probably scare the one he saved if he had just popped out of the water and said "Surprise!". So much so, in fact, the land-dweller may have never wanted to see him again, especially since he didn't remember Shiro. That is, if the powder worked.

Once he felt he was a safe distance from the pier, he paused his swimming and popped his head over the net of waves above him. His eyes moved to the dimmed lights of the town on the bay, where he was just floating. His eyes, able to pick out slight movements in darkness because of his necessity to do so to catch prey, caught sight of a black figure standing up from the pier and walking away. So, even if Shiro wanted to meet the man once more, it was too late. He had already left.

Shiro dived back under the waves, ignoring the pit in his stomach gnawing at him, trying to coax him to swim back.

He swam deeper and deeper. The light began to fade away to darkness, illuminated only by the glow of his scales. He could only make out a few blobs swimming in front of him, but it was enough for him to surge forward and grab a struggling fish. He wrestled with the fish, trying to get it to stop moving so much so that he could eat it, but it managed to slip out of his grasp and dart away into the blackness. He let it swim off, choosing not to pursue it. He wasn't that hungry, anyway.

He couldn't get his mind off the man, the land-dweller, whatever he was called. The one with the amber eyes and messy hair. He kept on appearing in Shiro's mind, and it was nearly impossible to push him out of it. The man seemed afraid of him at first, but that quickly morphed into fascination. That was something Shiro rarely saw.

Well, rarely was an overstatement. That was something Shiro _never_ saw.

* * *

The last time Shiro was close to a land-dweller was seven years ago. He had met the land-dweller fifteen years prior.

He had _thought_ the shore he liked to visit was a secluded place, a place where none of the land-dwellers ever visited, but he saw something that proved that he was remarkably incorrect. He had assumed the tall land and dark forest surrounding it would be enough to deter visitors, but apparently not. Hell, even the jagged rocks that lined should have also kept them away.

Shiro first noticed the offspring while he was crouching above a tide pool that had been nestled within some of the rocks. The coat he wore was a bright red, making him stand out against the mostly dirt-colored rocks. His hair, long and tangled, was covered in sand, but that didn't seem to deter him from his enjoyment from staring at the tide pool.

Shiro swam closer, curious what the young was doing there. He couldn't see any parents in the area, so he assumed the child was alone. From what he had learned, though, the children stayed with the parents for eighteen years, and this child looked nowhere close to eighteen. Or maybe it was eighteen months? Shiro could have easily misinterpreted the waterlogged textbook that fell off that cargo ship once. Still, something didn't sit right with him.

The young looked up from his tide pool, directly at Shiro. Shiro froze.

With fat sausage fingers, the child pointed at him.

"Fish! Fish!" He exclaimed in a high pitched voice. He was visibly shaking with excitement, as if he was about to blast off from where he stood into the sky.

Shiro, concerned for the child and his lack of parents, broke the surface. If the textbook and Shiro's reading were correct, the parents should be nearby. Despite this, there was no one in sight.

"Fish!" The child exclaimed once more.

Shiro smiled at the child's naivety.

"I'm not a fish, well, at least not entirely."

"Fish," the child said again, as if correcting Shiro.

Shiro knew trying to correct the child would just result in him getting the word "fish" thrown back at him.

"What's your name?"

"Keith!" The child said cheerily. "I'm three and a quarter."

Shiro wasn't why the child had to add on the "quarter" part, but he didn't dwell too long on it.

"That's very nice, Keith."

"What is your name?" He asked.

Shiro paused, contemplating what answer he should give the boy. Shiro's name would be unpronounceable to the boy, and he had no human translation of it, especially in the language the boy and Shiro were speaking. Was it German? English? Shiro couldn't remember. The names for all of those human languages became muddled in his head.

"You seem like a Shiro," the boy said, interrupting Shiro's thoughts.

Shiro nodded, deciding to go along with the name choice.

"That's one of my favorite names," Keith explained.

"It's a nice name," Shiro replied, still scanning the area for any adult humans that could possibly be the child's parents. "Do you know where you parents are?"

"Dad said he'll be back soon," Keith said, his sentences becoming more complex the more comfortable he got with Shiro.

Shiro rested his elbows on the rock. "I'll wait with you until he comes back."

Keith pointed to something in the tide pool, not acknowledging Shiro's decision to stay. "Dad told me that's a starfish. I like starfish."

Shiro couldn't see what Keith was pointing to, but he assumed Keith was correct in his identification, seeing as starfish were never hard to distinguish.

They sat there in silence for some time, every once in a while interrupted by Keith pointing out a creature in the tide pool. Shiro would nod along, pretending like he could see what Keith was pointing to, while keeping his eyes peeled for any other humans in the area. It was extremely risky for him to be doing this, but he was concerned enough for the child to gamble with his own freedom.

"Keith?" Someone called out. "Keith, you there?"

Keith's head snapped up from the tide pool.

Shiro sunk under the waves, his eyes peaking just above the water to see who was calling out to Keith.

A man walked up to Keith. Keith smiled.

"There you are. Sorry I had to leave you for a bit there, bud," the man said. "Ready to go home?"

Keith nodded. "I saw a fish."

"Did you?" The man said, picking Keith up. "What did it look like?"

Keith let go of the man, who Shiro assumed was Keith's father, to demonstrate with his arms. He stretched them into a t-pose. "He was this big. And could talk! His name was Shiro."

"Is that so?" The man chuckled.

Keith nodded enthusiastically.

Shiro lowered the rest of his head, so that he could no longer see nor hear Keith and his father. He let the darkness engulf him while he swam to where the sun could not reach him.

* * *

It was Saturday, the best day of the week. It had been three days since Matt last saw Dr. Honerva.

Matt sat at one of the tables in Bay Coffee, sipping his coffee while chatting with Katie, who sat across from him. In front of her sat a half eaten muffin resting on the paper bag it came in, surrounded by crumbs.

Katie took a bite of the muffin before speaking, making her next words a jumble of sounds. "So, I overheard you and Mom talking the other night about seeing Dr. Honerva."

Matt's blood ran cold. Yes, he had promised his mom to see Dr. Honerva once more, but something still didn't sit right with him.

"And?" He said, trying to act nonchalant.

"Why are you so against seeing her? She seemed nice enough when she was talking to us."

Matt noticed Katie conveniently left out the words _while you were in a coma._ He didn't point it out, though. Anytime he mentioned his state of comatose to anyone in his family, the temperature of the room dropped by at least ten degrees.

Matt dropped his voice and leaned forward. "Okay. Promise not to tell anyone about this?"

Katie shrugged. "Yeah, sure."

Matt took a deep breath in. Katie was probably going to call him insane or batshit crazy, but he couldn't keep it in much longer. He yearned to tell someone, and Katie seemed like the best option.

"Okay, so lately, I've been having this weird dreams. Ones I didn't have before the--" he paused, watching Katie's expression intently, looking for any signs to drop the subject.

Katie set down her muffin back onto the paper bag, causing it to crinkly slightly around the new object. Katie stared intently at her muffin, like a scientist watching a lab rat from behind the inch of glass that separated them. She drummed her fingers on the table, creating a rhythm out of her nervous energy, waiting for Matt to continue his though.

"--coma."

Katie stopped her drumming at the word. 

"Continue," she said. 

"They always feature a, well, a merman."

"Okay," she said, doubt lining her voice. "Can you elaborate?"

Matt scratched the back of his head. "Well, the dreams always feature one certain merman. He's not like the ones in the movies, because he isn't equally fifty percent fish, fifty percent man. It's almost a seventy-five, twenty-five distribution. He's got patches of scales running up the side of him and large gills on his neck, as if the fist part of him is trying to take over the human part. Oh and he has _great_ abs--"

"I meant what the dreams entailed, not the physical description of this guy."

"Oh, sorry."

"Well, go on," she said, motioning with the muffin in her hand.

"They seem to follow a somewhat cohesive narrative, unlike most of my dreams. They always take place during or right after the storm. They're blurry, vague, as if my brain can't quite piece together the details. 

Matt cleared his throat. "Well, Dr. Honerva asked me if I was having strange dreams, like she knew something I didn't. Plus, she hasn't been giving me any results. She's just continued doing tests on me for however many months I’ve been visiting."

"Did you tell her about the dreams?"

Matt shook his head. "No. Something about them," he paused, "feels like they aren't dreams at all. Like they're memories."

Katie leaned back in her chair and took another bite of her muffin. "Is that why you checked out all those books from the library? What was that one Mom called you out for? Merfolk and Me or something like that?"

"Precisely. If they really are memories buried deep inside, I'm going to find out all the information I can. The library seemed like the best place to start."

"What are you going to do from there?" Katie asked.

"I'm going to find him."

"Matt, I'm all for supporting you, but how do you plan to find a merman, which may or may not exist, in the entirety of the ocean?"

"I'm not sure on that yet. I mean, according to my research, merfolk of the Pacific Northwest don't travel too far if they can help it. Meaning, he's somewhere around Altea Bay."

"Okay, fine. Let's just say you do somehow find him. Then what? If Dr. Honerva knows something, wouldn't she be able to tell you met him again at your next appointment?"

"Not if I don't go."

"But you promised Mom you would."

"I'll have to come up with an excuse."

Katie had finished her muffin. "Good luck with that."

"Katie, you can't tell anyone about this, okay?"

"I won't. Don't worry."

Katie stretched. "Well, I gotta get to school. See ya later."

"See--wait. It's Saturday. You don't have school!"

Katie was already halfway out the door. "Bye, Matt!"

Matt slumped back into his chair.

He thought back to the reading he did last night. He could only remember snippets, but it was enough for him to formulate a plan.

Apparently, according to the reading, merfolk would hang around specific areas. They didn't like wandering too far from their usual locations, which were limited to two or three spots. Matt was sure one of the spots for the merman, whose name he was sure he had heard but couldn't remember, was the grotto the merman had taken him to when he was injured.

By that knowledge alone, Matt assumed the merman liked shallower waters, despite being a deep sea merman, meaning he could narrow his search to the shores and cliffs that surrounded the area. That was still swathes of area to cover, but it was better than trying to search the entire ocean. Of course, his assumption could be off. For all he knew, the merman preferred the darkness over the light shallows and that grotto was a one time deal.

Matt would have to work on assumptions if he wanted to get anywhere, though.

Matt would start with the southern shores, and work his way up from there. He'd have to figure out what to do if he spotted the merman, but he didn't dwell on that too much. The chances of him finding the merman were low, anyway.

He finished his coffee. It was time to get to work on finding this merman.

* * *

Matt was starting to suspect that Ms. Ryner thought he was going insane, which, in all fairness, was probably an accurate assumption. After all, most people don't become so fixated on their dreams that they spend every waking hour of their life searching for something that was probably a figment of their imagination. But, Matt wanted to believe that there was something more, that it wasn't something his brain made up to cope with the coma.

Matt slammed down a stack of books onto the table. This was the third time this week he had done so. He wasn't quite sure why his library had so many books on merfolk, but he wasn't complaining. The more sources, the better. After all, all the previous ones from the week proved to be useless, because all of the "high merfolk sightings" areas listed in all the books turned up nothing for Matt when he went searching. He'd visited beaches, cliffs, and even peeked inside a cave (which, he refused to go in. He'd read enough about half submerged caves to know it was trouble to go into), all for no results.

He refused to believe that Shiro was fake. He had to continue his search.

Matt absentmindedly traced the spine of the top book before opening it. Something outside the library window had caught his eye. He first assumed he was hallucinating, because why the living hell would _she_ be here? But, then she stopped someone on the street to presumably ask them a question. So, not a hallucination.

It was Dr. Honerva. She was here in Altea Bay-- _but why_?

She walked past the library, not noticing Matt in the window. Matt was tempted to just take the books and run, but he knew Ms. Ryner would have his head if he stole any books. And he could only check out one of them at the moment because he already had too many books from the library at home, so he'd have to skim through them to pick which one he wanted to take home.

He tried to ignore his thoughts about Dr. Honerva pestering him in the back of his mind.

He spent hours at the library, skimming through each book, until he found one in particular.

It was plain, with a simple blue cover and white lettering spelling out _Tracking the Elusive Creatures of the Deep_ and no decorative ornaments. It was a thin book, appearing to only be about eighty to one hundred pages long. Matt cracked it open.

There was a table of contents, each outlining different species. They at first were common species, like the angler fish, but quickly delved into more nontraditional species.

Matt found the section on merfolk and turned to the correct page. Most of the information was what he had learned previously from other books, however, one list stuck out to him in particular.

_Merfolk in the Altea Bay County (as well as surrounding Counties)_

It was a list of areas where Merfolk were commonly sighted. He'd visited some of the areas before, but a few he had never heard of.

Matt shut the book. He knew which book he was checking out.

* * *

Shiro had returned to the beach where he had seen Keith before, but the young child hadn't come back in years. Shiro was circling through the darkened waters, hunting for any lingering fish in the area, when he heard a voice. A human voice.

Shiro allowed his eyes to appear just above the water, but kept the rest of his head submerged underneath, in case he need to make a quick escape.

The human was seemingly talking to himself while kicking lose rocks around. He wore a red jacket, one that was a similar color to what Keith wore when Shiro first saw him, but the length of the jacket seemed a few sizes too small. The boy had a mane of untamable black hair that would fall in front of his eyes every time he tried pushing it out of his way.

Shiro flicked his tail to keep himself afloat.

The boy turned his attention away from the rocks to the waves beating against the shore. Then, he looked directly at Shiro.

Both froze.

The boy cautiously stepped forward, each step slow and doubtful. He stopped just before where the ocean met the rocks.

"I--I know you," the boy said.

Shiro contemplated swimming away and never returning, but something about the boy seemed so familiar.

"You do?"

The boy nodded. "I saw you here about twelve years ago."

Twelve years. Twelve years. The only person he could remember seeing that long ago was--

"Keith?" Shiro asked.

Keith nodded. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Shiro wasn't sure what to say. He remembered Keith only vaguely, as they had only met once and Keith was considerably younger in his childhood state of life, as opposed to the adolescent stage he appeared to be in now.

"I suppose so," Shiro replied. For Shiro, it hadn't been that long. His life span was much longer than a human's, so twelve years to him was just a blink of an eye.

Keith sat down on the rock cliff. "I didn't think you were real, to be honest. I assumed those memories were just things I made up when I was younger."

"Most don't think I'm real, so you're not alone in that."

Keith scoffed. "That's reassuring, I guess."

Keith seemed to have lost his childhood wonder he had when Shiro first met him, and it had been replaced by angered looks and balled fists. His eyes were not wide with fascination, but rather narrow with irritation.

"Where's your father?" Shiro asked. "He was here last time."

Keith picked up a rock and threw it into the water. "I wouldn't know. I haven't seen him for a while now."

Keith's phone buzzed. He looked at it before shoving it back into his pocket. His eyes were ablaze now, as if he had seen his enemy on that phone

Keith stood up. "Well, it was nice chatting with you, even if it was brief. I gotta get back to the house before Martha decides she's fed up with me and kicks me back into the foster system."

Shiro wasn't sure what Keith meant by that, but he wasn't going to question him about it. Keith was clearly in a bad mood, and Shiro didn't want to be on the other end of that. He barely knew the kid, anyway, except for that one meeting twelve years ago when Keith was still a young child.

Keith walked away.

Shiro dipped back below the waves. He hoped that kid was okay.

* * *

Matt stood on the edge of the cliff, watching the waves bash against the weathered rocks. They doused the rocks in their white sea foam, coating the rocks in what looked like ivory frosting. He wasn't sure why he was at this beach, other than that he had read a few things here and there about it. He didn't expect to find much here, except for maybe a few leaves scattered about or a cool rock for him to take home, but that didn't stop him from staying. It was quite beautiful, and it was secluded enough to be only filled with the sounds of waves crashing against the cliffs and the birds in the forest behind him.

He had never heard of this beach before he read that brief mention of it in that library book, even after living in the area for the first eighteen years of his life, and he wished he had stumbled across it further. It was peaceful there, allowing him to collect his thoughts.

He was really doing this. Searching for a merman from his dreams that probably was just a figment of his imagination. He chuckled to himself at the absurdity of the entire situation. He was a rational person, always using logic, yet, here he was, looking for a mythical creature that had only been documented by sailors, who were all most likely drunk when they claimed the saw the merperson.

Spray from the waves splashed his sneakers slightly. The waves were becoming more hostile now, splashing him more and more the longer he stood on the cliff looking out into the sea. His sneakers were flecked now with speckles of water, turning them from their white to an off-color grey.

The sea he watched from his vantage point was expansive. He had never quite noticed how far the sea seemed to stretch out from the land. It was just a lapis blue crested with white waves stretching on for miles, disappearing in the horizon.

Then, he noticed it. It was brief, only for a split second, but it was enough to catch Matt's eye.

A flash of purple.

The purple glow. Just like what the merman had in Matt's dream. The merman--Shiro--was he here?

Matt tried to contain his excitement. If that purple really was Shiro, his long search would be over. He would no longer have to question his sanity day and night while he feverishly read those books from the library like they were a religious mantra. And, most importantly, he'd meet the person that saved his life.

Matt adjusted his glasses on his face; They had begun to slip from some of the spray that had managed to slick up his face. He looked into the water once more.

There it was again! The purple. This time it stayed just under the water. It was static, barely moving at all.

Matt crouched down to get a better look at it. The purple was in the shape of a fish tail, just like Shiro's would be.

Now the trick was getting Shiro's attention. Matt thought back to his reading, trying to come up with any tactics that would at least lure Shiro out enough for Matt to see him.

All Matt remembered the books saying was that merpeople only came out when they wanted to. So, luring Shiro out was going to be a bit more difficult than he thought.

He could throw a rock in the water, but then he might accidentally hit Shiro, which would not be a good way to try to convince Shiro he wasn't going to hurt him.

Matt could imagine the situation.

"Hey! I just threw this rock at you, but I promise I'm not going to hurt you or anything!"

So, that was out of the question.

Matt thought back to their first encounter. Well, he at least thought back to the dreams he was having, which he could only assume was at least some was factual to their first encounter.

He had fallen into the water, injured, and had begun sinking to the bottom of the ocean floor.

He wasn't going to injure himself. That would be stupid to do by himself, without any help in sight. But, he could at least half of what had transpired that day he first met Shiro.

Matt took his glasses off and folded them next to him. He pinched his nose with his left hand. He closed his eyes

"Well, here goes nothing."

Matt stepped off the rocks into the inky water below.

The impact was like hitting a snow drift. It was cold, wet, and generally unpleasant. He allowed his body to sink down further. He wasn't sure how deep it was here. He hoped Shiro would save him first before he had to find out the answer to that.

He felt a tug under his arm pit. It felt like a human hand had clasped him under his arms. He opened his eyes.

He saw a purple mark that glowed faintly in the darkness. It traveled across the bridge of the nose of the person that was gripping him. He saw the gills pulsating on the person's neck, filtering water in and out of them. He saw the fins where the person's ears should have been.

He was face to face with Shiro.

Their faces were close enough for Matt to be able to see the intricate detail on Shiro's face. He noticed more flecks of purple across his cheeks and forehead, framing his facial features in faded scales that twinkled like the night sky.

Shiro's eyes flicked over to Matt's. Shiro's mouth opened slightly, but otherwise he made no change to his facial expression.

Matt could feel the large amounts of water being pushed underneath him with the flicking of Shiro's tail. Shiro's tail was massive, enough to curl into the darkness so that Matt couldn't see the bottom fan of it, so Matt assumed it was quite a powerful muscle for the merman. Even feeling the displaced water below him quiver with energy was enough to tell him that the tail was a force.

Matt realized his impetuousness when he started running out of air. How far down had he sunk? His brain screamed at him to take a breath, but there was nothing he could do. Matt let some of the bubbles trapped within his mouth escape to the surface, distorting his view of Shiro with the circular pockets of air, causing the light that Shiro let off to become bent.

Even though their gaze was interrupted by the bubbles, Shiro maintained the eye contact. Shiro's eyes were an intense gray, the same coloration as storm clouds or a unpolished piece of pewter. They weren't glowing, unlike his scales, so seemed almost...human.

Finally, they broke the surface. Matt took a deep inhale of air, savoring the feeling of the cool air in his throat.

Shiro shifted his hands from under Matt's arms to the small of Matt's back. Matt wrapped his hands around the nape of Shiro's neck and clasped them together. They were closer now, enough for Matt to feel Shiro's hot breath over his lips.

Matt's hair was plastered to his forehead, but Shiro brushed it aside for him.

Matt, still breathless, was the first to speak.

"You're--you're real." His voice was soft. "I--I knew those dreams were more than figments of my imagination."

"You remember me? In you dreams?"

Matt nodded. "Of course I did. How could I forget the person that saved my life?"

"It's just that--I gave you the powder. It worked on humans before. How--?"

Matt put a finger on Shiro's lips. "That doesn't matter now. What matters is that I found you."

"Why did you look for me in the first place?"

Matt gave a wiry smile. "I need to thank you. For what you did for me. I would be dead now if it weren't for you saving me in that storm.."

"Twice, now. I'm pretty sure I just saved you just then."

Matt laughed. "I'd love to stroke your ego, but I have to say had that one under control. I jumped into the water on purpose."

"And that's why you lay there limply, sinking to the bottom?"

"Precisely."

Shiro chuckled, but didn't reply.

They were suspended there in silence, Shiro keeping Matt afloat. The sun began to set in the distance. The waves would batter against them, but Shiro managed to keep them in the same spot.

"You should get back to your family. You don't want to worry them, especially Katie," Shiro said.

"How do you know about Katie?"

"You were mumbling her name while you were unconscious. Point is, you should go back home."

"I'll go back home on one condition."

"And what's that?"

"If you agree to meet again."

Shiro gripped Matt, silent, mulling over the offer in his head.

"When and where?"

"Here. One week from now. Sundown."

"How long is a week?"

Matt realized that Shiro may not have the same concept of time as Matt did. "You see the sun? Each time it sets signals a day is ending. 7 sun sets from now is a week."

"7 sundowns from now," Shiro said.

Shiro removed his hands from the small of Matt's back, much to Matt's disappointment, to grip his arm. Matt untangled his hands from the nape of Shiro's neck.

Shiro swam back to the rocky face. Matt grabbed the rocks and hoisted himself up onto them, so that he was sitting with his legs swinging over the edge.

"I never got your name," Shiro said.

"It's Matt. Matt Holt."

"Well, Matt Holt, it was nice meeting you," Shiro smiled, revealing the fangs that lined his gums. "I'll see you seven sundowns from now."

With that, Shiro dove back under the waves, his entire body following his head. His tail surfaced from under the water, allowing Matt to see the sheer size of it. It was massive, much longer than Shiro's torso. It was sleek, barely making a noise when the fan dipped below the waves.

Matt smiled to himself. He was going to see Shiro in a week. He already couldn't wait.

* * *

The worst thing on Earth was wet socks. That's what Matt learned trudging his way home with his sneakers soaked and his socks dripping in water. The squished with each step he took, creating a cringe-worthy sound that made Matt lose a little of his joy each time he heard it. It wasn't enough to completely dampen the mood, though. After all, Matt had finally found Shiro. And he was seeing him next week.

He was now walking on the shoulder of the road, his goal the shadows of buildings in the distance. He made sure to look behind him every once in a while to check for any cars that were getting too close to him.

He heard a car's engine. He made sure he was over to the side. The car, rather than speeding past him, however, slowed down to a stop beside him. The window rolled down.

"Matt? Is that you?"

The woman driving the car had her hair dyed a stark white. Matt recognized her immediately.

"Allura?"

"That's my name! Now what are you doing walking on the side of the road like that? And why are you soaking?"

"It's--uh--kinda a long story."

"Here, I'll give you a ride home. I got some new towels in the trunk we can put on the seat. The trunk should be unlocked for you to grab them."

Well, clearly Allura had forgiven Matt about the dress incident when they were younger. He supposed it wouldn't make sense to hold a grudge for that long, but even so, it was hard to tell with Allura. Even after they became closer in their senior year of high school, Matt still wasn't 100% sure if Allura liked him.

"Oh, thank you."

"Of course!"

Matt stepped behind the car and opened the trunk. As Allura promised, there were a few towels thrown into the trunk. There was also a suitcase shoved in the back corner, nearly out of sight. Matt gathered them in his arms and brought them to the passenger side of the car. He opened the door and set the towels on the seat before sitting down.

"So, how have things been? I mean, besides the accident. My Uncle Coran was telling me about it. Sounded pretty bad."

"I mean, pretty good besides that." Matt scratched the back of his head. "It's been kinda hectic with my mom and now my appointments."

Allura nodded. "I'd imagine so. I'm sorry you have to go through that. I remember when my dad had cancer. It was a rough time. All I can say is as long as you keep your head up things will get better."

"Thanks. So, what are you doing back in town? I thought you were living in Balmera now."

"I still am, but I got some time off of work to visit Coran. I'm just driving from the airport now, actually."

"I didn't know they let generals have time off."

"Legally, they have to at least give me some time. Matt, you're supposed to be smart. Why didn't that occur to you?"

Matt laughed. "I guess I'm a bit tired. It's been an interesting day to say the least."

"Please, do tell me more. I'm curious how you got soaked."

Matt had to think of a lie, fast. It's not that he didn't trust Allura--he did--but he felt that having too many people know about Shiro would only bring trouble.

"Well, I--uh--it's kinda stupid," Matt said, stalling for time.

"I won't judge you. It's pretty hard to judge anything you do after you threw up all over my dress," Allura teased.

Matt chuckled. "Fair enough. Well, basically, I was just kinda walking around, trying to clear my head, and I feel off some rocks into the water."

"And you didn't lose your glasses? That's pretty impressive. I'd think your glasses would just sink right to the bottom if you fell in unexpectedly."

Allura was seeing through his lie.

"I managed to hold onto them, thankfully," Matt lied.

Allura pursed her lips, but didn't press it further.

"How's Katie holding up?"

"She's doing fine."

"School going well?"

"I mean I'd assume so. She's already in calculus as a sophomore."

"God, that girl is smart. You may have a run for your money, Matt."

"I already know she's got me beat in that department."

The car rumbled into the town. It was dark, so the buildings looked more like empty shells than restaurants, shops, and attractions. Altea Bay had few street lights as well, so their path was only lit by the headlights on Allura's car.

The car pulled in front of Matt's house. Matt stepped out of the car.

"Well, here you go," Allura said through the open window. "I'll be in town for about two weeks. Don't hesitate to drop by, maybe catch up a bit more. And, if you need any favors, let me know."

"I'll try my best to visit."

"Well, see you around."

"See ya."

The car pulled away from Matt, taking his only light source, the headlights, with it. He walked to the front porch of the house, but paused before going in through the front door. He didn't want to wake his family up, and, as far as they knew, he was in the house with them. Plus, he had left his keys in his room.

He instead made a sharp right to the tree growing just in front of the house. The tree had low branches, low enough for Matt to grip them and hoist himself up the trunk of the tree. Doing this reminded him of high school, when he used to sneak out late at night to head to the beach.

He scaled the tree with ease and was to his window without making so much a noise. The lock had broken his sophomore year of high school, and his dad never replaced it, so the window should open easily.

Matt jiggled the window. It stayed shut. He tried again. It was stuck in place.

"Shit," Matt cursed under his breath. Maybe his dad had replaced the lock when he was away at college.

Matt weighed his options. He could knock on the front door, but then he'd have to explain to his entire family why he was sopping wet and why he was out so late.

Then, he noticed light blotched on the wall of the house next door. Someone in his house was awake, and by the looks of where the light was coming from, it was Katie. She already knew about Shiro, so it wouldn't be a problem explaining to her what happened. And, she wouldn't rat him out to their parents. At least, he hoped so.

He scuttled across the shingled overhang, careful to keep his body low and his movements slow, over to Katie's window. Matt peeked inside.

Kaite was inside, headphones on, doing something on her computer. It looked like she was coding, but it was difficult to tell from the angle Matt was looking at the computer.

Matt tapped the window. Katie didn't flinch. She must have had her music on loud. He knew if he tried to be any louder, though, that would wake his parents up, which was not something he wanted to do.

Matt fumbled with the window's latch, seeing if it was open. To his surprise, it was. Matt slid open the window.

Katie glanced over to the window. Upon seeing Matt, she jumped. She took off her headphones.

"Jesus Christ Matt! I thought you were a serial killer or something!"

Matt stepped inside the room and closed the window behind him. "You should really lock your window."

"Last I checked you never locked your window. Why were you crawling into my window?" Katie surveyed Matt up and down. "And why are you wet?"

"To answer your first question, Dad replaced the lock on my window while I was away so I didn't expect it to be locked. I had to improvise, and saw that your light was on. Figured I'd get inside that way."

"Why didn't you just enter the house like a normal person?"

"I left my keys in the house by accident. And I didn't want to wake Mom and Dad up."

"Okay, fine. I'll give you that. But why are you we--." Katie set her laptop down and jumped up. "Did you find him?"

Matt nodded. "He's real."

"Let me guess, you hopped into the water to see him?"

"I kinda had a lapse of judgement there."

"So, what now?"

"We're meeting next week. I don't really know what we're going to do from there but I mean I guess we'll have to see."

"Do you at least plan to bring a swimsuit this time?"

"That, and I might try to get to the beach by boat. I feel like it'd be easier for us to interact if he didn't have to hold onto me the whole time."

"And how do you plan to get a boat?"

"I'll have to figure that out. Maybe Coran will rent one to me."

"And then he'll tell Mom that you rented a boat, which then would prompt her to corner you and question you about it."

Matt thought back to the conversation he had with Allura.

And, if you need any favors, let me know.

"Yeah, but Allura wouldn't tell Mom. And she could easily get me a boat."

"Allura? Isn't she at Balmera now?"

Matt shook his head. "I just got a ride home from her. She's out visiting."

"Well, that's convenient, isn't it?"

"I'll call her right now. I think I still have her number."

Matt fished his phone out of his pocket. To his dismay, it was completely covered in water. He shook it off and attempted to power it on, but the screen just flickered white before going out. His phone was waterlogged.

"Did you not take out your phone before you jumped in?" Katie asked.

"It may have slipped my mind."

"So, looks like you're going to have to talk to her in person then about this whole boat thing, because I can tell you, your phone is completely dead. Have fun explaining that one to Mom and Dad. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm kinda in the middle of something. Can you please leave my room?"

"Oh, yeah. Sure thing."

Matt walked over to the door, trailing water behind him.

"Great. You got water on the floor."

"I'll clean it up by tomorrow if its not dry by then."

"Night, Matt."

"Night, Katie."

Matt fell asleep easily that night. And, he had no dreams about Shiro, because he didn't need to any more. It was a good night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Matt and Shiro finally met again! I've been waiting to write them together for a while now. I'm glad that I could do it again. Now come the more interesting parts 
> 
> All the scenes with Keith are flashbacks. They all happened before Shiro and Matt met. 
> 
> Once more, thank you @yaoi_ships for giving me an idea in the comments. I wanted to incorporate Matt telling Pidge about Honerva, which I didn't think much about until I read your comment.
> 
> This was supposed to come out Sunday for Shatt Sunday but I couldn't wait so here it is a day early.

**Author's Note:**

> My tumblr is @noquiznaksweregiventhatday


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